Asynchronous interactive game play

ABSTRACT

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for executing asynchronous game play by a plurality of players in one or more game instances.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/904,722,filed on Oct. 14, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to games and applications in generaland in particular to computer-implemented online games, such as onlinerole-playing games (RPGs), playable by more than one person from morethan one location.

BACKGROUND

In many online computer games, there is a virtual world or some otherimagined playing space where a player of the game controls one or moreplayer characters (herein “characters,” “player characters,” or “PCs”).Player characters can be considered in-game representations of thecontrolling player. As used herein, the terms player, user, entity, andfriend may refer to the in-game player character controlled by thatplayer, user, entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. Agame display can display a representation of the player character. Agame engine accepts inputs from the player, determines player characteractions, decides outcomes of events, and presents the player with a gamedisplay illuminating game play. In some games, there are multipleplayers, wherein each player controls one or more player characters.

An electronic social networking system typically operates with one ormore social networking servers providing interaction between users suchthat a user can specify other users of the social networking system as“friends.” A collection of users and the “friend” connections betweenusers can form a social graph that can be traversed to find second,third and more remote connections between users, much like a graph ofnodes connected by edges can be traversed.

Many online computer games are operated on an online social network.Such a network allows both users and other parties to interact with thecomputer games directly, whether to play the games or to retrieve game-or user-related information. Internet users may maintain one or moreaccounts with various service providers, including, for example, onlinegame networking systems and online social networking system. Onlinesystems can typically be accessed using browser clients (e.g., Firefox,Chrome, Internet Explorer).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing particulardisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example social network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method for implementing particulardisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example game instance.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example game instance.

FIG. 4C illustrates an example game instance.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example data flow in a system.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer system architecture.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing variousdisclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system 100 comprisesplayer 101, social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b,client system 130, and network 160. The components of system 100 can beconnected to each other in any suitable configuration, using anysuitable type of connection. The components may be connected directly orover a network 160, which may be any suitable network. For example, oneor more portions of network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet,an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network(LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, aportion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, another type of network, or a combination of two ormore such networks.

Social network system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social network system 120 a can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accesses by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from social networksystem 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system 130 canaccess social networking system 120 or game networking system 120 bdirectly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As an exampleand not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, etc.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetwork systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social network systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b,client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network(SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. Inparticular embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include an adhoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, aWWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, acellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or acombination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need notnecessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more firstconnections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates particularconnections between player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable connections between player 101,social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, client system130, and network 160. As an example and not by way of limitation, inparticular embodiments, client system 130 may have a direct connectionto social network system 120 a or game networking system 120 b,bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems

Game Networking Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including non-player characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. Thegame engine also manages game state, including player character statefor currently active (online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, game state). Insome embodiments, a player may play multiple games on game networkingsystem 120 b, which may maintain a single game account for the playerwith respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts foreach game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, gamenetworking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to each player101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b. Gamenetworking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 is accessing theonline game by reading the user's cookies, which may be appended to HTTPrequests transmitted by client system 130, and/or by the player 101logging onto the online game.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmittinguser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

Game Play

In particular embodiments, player 101 can engage in or cause a playercharacter controlled by him to engage in one or more in-game actions.For a particular game, various types of in-game actions may be availableto player 101. As an example and not by way of limitation, a playercharacter in an online role-playing game may be able to interact withother player characters, build a virtual house, attack enemies, go on aquest, and go to a virtual store to buy/sell virtual items. As anotherexample and not by way of limitation, a player character in an onlinepoker game may be able to play at specific tables, place bets of virtualor legal currency for certain amounts, discard or hold certain cards,play or fold certain hands, and play in a online poker tournament.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may engage in an in-game action byproviding one or more user inputs to client system 130. Various actionsmay require various types and numbers of user inputs. Some types ofin-game actions may require a single user input. As an example and notby way of limitation, player 101 may be able to harvest a virtual cropby clicking on it once with a mouse. Some types of in-game actions mayrequire multiple user inputs. As another example and not by way oflimitation, player 101 may be able throw a virtual fireball at anin-game object by entering the following sequence on a keyboard: DOWN,DOWN and RIGHT, RIGHT, B. This disclosure contemplates engaging inin-game actions using any suitable number and type of user inputs.

In particular embodiments, player 101 can perform an in-game action onan in-game object. An in-game object is any interactive clement of anonline game. In-game objects may include, for example, PCs, NPCs,in-game assets and other virtual items, in-game obstacles, gameelements, game features, and other in-game objects. This disclosurecontemplates performing in-game actions on any suitable in-game objects.For a particular in-game object, various types of in-game actions may beavailable to player 101 based on the type of in-game object. As anexample and not by way of limitation, if player 101 encounters a virtualbear, the game engine may give him the options of shooting the bear orpetting the bear. Some in-game actions may be available for particulartypes of in-game objects but not other types. As an example and not byway of limitation, if player 101 encounters a virtual rock, the gameengine may give him the option of moving the rock, however, unlike thevirtual bear, the game engine may not allow player 101 to shoot or petthe virtual rock. Furthermore, for a particular in-game object, varioustypes of in-game actions may be available to player 101 based on thegame state of the in-game object. As an example and not by way oflimitation, if player 101 encounters a virtual crop that was recentlyplanted, the game engine may give him only the option of fertilizing thecrop; but if player 101 returns to the virtual crop later when it isfully grown, the game engine may give him only the option of harvestingthe crop.

In particular embodiments, the game engine may cause one or more gameevents to occur in the game. Game events may include, for example, achange in game state, an outcome of an engagement, a completion of anin-game obstacle, a transfer of an in-game asset or other virtual item,or a provision of access, rights and/or benefits. In particularembodiments, a game event is any change in game state. Similarly, anychange in game state may be a game event. This disclosure contemplatesany suitable type of game event. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may cause a game event where the virtualworld cycles between daytime and nighttime every 24 hours. As anotherexample and not by way of limitation, the game engine may cause a gameevent where a new instance, level, or area of the game becomes availableto player 101. As yet another example and not by way of limitation, thegame engine may cause a game event where player 101's player characterheals one hit point every 5 minutes.

In particular embodiments, a game event or change in game state may bean outcome of one or more in-game actions. The game engine can determinethe outcome of a game event or a change in game state according to avariety of factors, such as, for example, game logic or rules, playercharacter in-game actions, player character state, game state of one ormore in-game objects, interactions of other player characters, or randomcalculations. As an example and not by way of limitation, player 101 mayovercome an in-game obstacle and earn sufficient experience points toadvance to the next level, thereby changing the game state of player101's player character (it advances to the next character level). Asanother example and not by way of limitation, player 101 may defeat aparticular boss NPC in a game instance, thereby causing a game eventwhere the game instance is completed and the player advances to a newgame instance. As yet another example and not by way of limitation,player 101 may pick the lock on a virtual door to open it, therebychanging the game state of the door (it goes from closed to open) andcausing a game event (the player can access a new area of the game).

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is copy of a specific gameplay area that is created during runtime. In particular embodiments, agame instance is a discrete game play area where one or more players 101can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. A game instance maybe, for example, a level, zone, area, region, location, virtual space,or other suitable play area. A game instance may be populated by one ormore in-game objects. Each object may be defined within the gameinstance by one or more variables, such as, for example, position,height, width, depth, direction, time, duration, speed, color, and othersuitable variables. A game instance may be exclusive (i.e., accessibleby specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e., accessible by any player).In particular embodiments, a game instance is populated by one or moreplayer characters controlled by one or more players 101 and one or morein-game objects controlled by the game engine. When accessing an onlinegame, the game engine may allow player 101 to select a particular gameinstance to play from a plurality of game instances. Alternatively, thegame engine may automatically select the game instance that player 101will access. In particular embodiments, an online game comprises onlyone game instance that all players 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the setof in-game actions available to a specific player may be different in agame instance that is associated with that player compared to a gameinstance that is not associated with that player. The set of in-gameactions available to a specific player in a game instance associatedwith that player may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set ofin-game actions available to that player in a game instance that is notassociated with him. As an example and not by way of limitation, a firstplayer may be associated with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game.The first player may be able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If thefirst player accesses game instance associated with another player, suchas Whiteacre Farm, the game engine may not allow the first player toplant crops in that game instance. However, other in-game actions may beavailable to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing crops onWhiteacre Farm.

Harvest Mechanic

In particular embodiments, an online game can include a series ofuser-initiated in-game actions that comprise a harvest mechanic. Theharvest mechanic generally has two components: a set of initiatingactions and a set of collecting actions. In an initiating action, player101 may “click” or otherwise interact with an in-game object of theonline game to initiate the harvest mechanic. In some games, multipleclicks or other actions may be necessary to complete the initiatingaction. For example, player 101 may have to click on a stove to clean itand click again to prepare ingredients and initiate cooking virtualfood. In another example, player 101 may have to click on a parcel ofvirtual land to plow it and click again to plant seeds and initiategrowing virtual crops.

Once the initiating action is complete, the online game may begin aprocessing action, wherein the game state of the in-game object ismodified by the game system during some time period. The time period canrange from seconds to days, depending on the online game. For example,the game engine may require an hour for virtual food to get cooked, orit may require three days for a virtual crop to grow. During theprocessing action, player 101 may be able to cancel the processingaction, thereby resetting the entire harvest mechanic sequence. Duringthe processing action, player 101 may also be able to interact with thein-game object. For example, player 101 could add spice to his virtualfood while it is cooking, or player 101 could add fertilizer to hisvirtual crops while they are growing. These interactions may or may notcause a change in game state of the in-game object. In particularembodiments, there is no processing action, and the collecting action isaccessible immediately after the initiating action is complete. In otherembodiments, the processing action is instantaneous.

After the processing action is complete, the game engine can alter thegame state of the in-game object. At this point, the collecting actionmay be available. In a collecting action, player 101 may click orotherwise interact with the in-game object to complete the harvestmechanic. For example, player 101 may have to click on the fully-cookedvirtual food to serve it. In another example, player 101 may have toclick on fully-grown crops to harvest them. In some games, multipleclicks or other actions may be necessary to complete the collectingaction. In particular embodiments, one or more in-game assets are othergame benefits are provided to player 101 for completing the collectingaction.

Once the collecting action is complete, the harvest mechanic may bereset with respect to that game in-game object. In some embodiments,player 101 may have to click or otherwise interact with the in-gameobject to reset the harvest mechanic. In other embodiments, the harvestmechanic may reset automatically once the collecting action is complete.Once the harvest mechanic is reset, the initiating action may beavailable again for that in-game object.

In particular embodiments, certain game events may cause the harvestmechanic to terminate. As an example and not by way of limitation, ifthe collecting action is not performed on an in-game object within acertain period of time, the game engine may remove access to thecollecting action for that in-game object. This may prevent player 101from receiving any in-game assets or other game benefits awarded forperforming the collecting action on that in-game object. Furthermore,player 101 may then have to perform one or more in-game actions to resetthe harvest mechanic with respect to that in-game object. As anotherexample and not by way of limitation, if the collecting action is notperformed on virtual crops with a certain period of time, the gameengine may cause the crops to wilt, such that the collecting action canno longer be performed on the crops.

In particular embodiments, a harvest mechanic can be performed by aplurality of players 101 of an online game. A plurality of players 101can perform a plurality of in-game actions on an in-game object duringsynchronous or asynchronous game play. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a first player may click on a parcel of virtual land to plowit at a first time, and a second player may click on the parcel to plantseeds at a later time. In particular embodiments, particular steps ofthe harvest mechanic may only be performed by specific players. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game instance associated withthat first player may include a parcel of virtual land with wiltedcrops. Because the game instance is associated with the first player,that player may only be able to performing a clearing action on thewilted crops, thereby resetting the harvest mechanic. However, a secondplayer who is not associated with the game instance may be able toaccess the game instance and perform other in-game actions on theparcel, such as performing a unwither action, which resets the harvestmechanic to the beginning of the collecting action. If the second playerperforms an unwither action, the first player may then be able toperform a collecting action on the virtual crops.

Social Graphs and Social Networking Systems

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of asocial graph is a player or player character in an online multiplayergame, though this disclosure any suitable social graph users.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, N_(max) equals 1, such that theplayer's social network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, N_(max) is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social graph. Asshown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked to variousother users, or “friends,” within the social network 250. Theseassociations, connections or links can track relationships between userswithin the social network 250 and are commonly referred to as online“friends” or “friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in aparticular user's social network within a social graph is commonlyreferred to as a “node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way oflimitation, the details of social network 250 will be described inrelation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user”can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in anonline multiuser game system or social networking system. As usedherein, the term “friend” can mean any node within a player's socialnetwork.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Insocial network 250, Player 201 has two first-degree friends. That is,Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221.In a social graph, it is possible for individuals to be connected toother individuals through their first-degree friends (i.e., friends offriends). As described above, each edge required to connect a player toanother user is considered the degree of separation. For example, FIG. 2shows that Player 201 has three second-degree friends to which he isconnected via his connection to his first-degree friends. Second-degreeFriend 1 ₂ 212 and Friend 2 ₂ 222 are connected to Player 201 via hisfirst-degree Friend 1 ₁ 211. The limit on the depth of friendconnections, or the number of degrees of separation for associations,that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions andpolicies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1 _(N) 219 is connected to Player201 via second-degree Friend 3 ₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may take advantage of and utilize thedistinction between the various degrees of friendship relative to Player201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260. In some embodiments, it ispossible for a friend to be in both the out-of-game social network 250and the in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221 has both anout-of-game connection 255 and an in-game connection 265 with Player201, such that Friend 2 ₁ 221 is in both Player 201's in-game socialnetwork 260 and Player 201's out-of-game social network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out of game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2 ₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2 ₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users must “friend” eachother) and implicitly (e.g., system observes user behaviors and“friends” users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference toa friend connection between two or more players can be interpreted tocover both explicit and implicit connections, using one or more socialgraphs and other factors to infer friend connections. The friendconnections can be unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not alimitation of this description that two players who are deemed “friends”for the purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e.,in disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be thecase.

Asynchronous Game Play

In multiplayer online games, two or more players can play in the samegame instance. Game play is asynchronous when the players do not playsimultaneously in the game instance. In particular embodiments,synchronous game play between two players in the same game instance canbe simulated from asynchronous game play by recording the game play of afirst player in the game instance at a first time and replaying thatgame play during the game play of a second player in the game instanceat a later time.

Example Methods

In particular embodiments, the game engine can record the in-gameactions of a first player in a game instance for later play-back byother players in the game instance, and then the game engine load andexecute the previously recorded in-game actions during the game play ofother players in the game instance. FIG. 3 illustrates an example method300 for implementing particular disclosed embodiments.

At step 305, a first player (Player 1) can access an online game. Inparticular embodiments, Player 1 can access the online game on gamenetworking system 120 b, social networking system 120 a, or both. As anexample and not by way of limitation, Player 1 may access, via clientsystem 130, a webpage hosted by social networking system 120 a, whereinthe webpage has an embedded game interface hosted by game networkingsystem 120 b.

At step 310, the game engine can access the Player 1's social networkinginformation. In particular embodiments, the game engine can accesssocial networking information on social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, or both. As an example and not by way oflimitation, Player 1 may have an out-of-game social network 250 onsocial networking system 120 a and an in-game social network 260 on gamenetworking system 120 b, wherein the in-game social network 260 is asubset of Player 1's first-degree friends in out-of-game social network250. In other embodiments, the game engine does not access any socialnetworking information, such that method 300 bypasses step 310.

At step 315, Player 1 can select a game instance to access. Inparticular embodiments, Player 1 can select the game instance from a setof game instances associated with another player of the online game. Inparticular embodiments, Player 1 can select the game instance from a setof game instances associated with friends in Player 1's social network.Here, Player 1 selects a second player (Player 2), who is a friend inPlayer 1's social network. In other embodiments, Player 1 can onlyaccess game instances associated with first-degree friends in Player 1'sin-game social network. In yet other embodiments, Player 1 can access agame instance from a set of predetermined game instances, wherein thegame instances may or may not be associated with other players.

At step 320 the game engine can then load the game instance selected byPlayer 1. Here, the game engine loads the game instance associated withPlayer 2 at a first time (Time 1). As used herein, “time” may refer aspecific time point or a time period of specific duration. In particularembodiments, the game engine automatically loads a game instance andPlayer 1 does not performing any selection, such that method 300bypasses steps 310-315. The in-game objects in the game instance haveparticular game states at Time 1.

At step 325, Player 1 can perform one or more in-game actions on one ormore in-game objects in the game instance. In particular embodiments,the game engine can display Player 1's in-game actions and theassociated game state changes to Player 1, but any game state changes toin-game objects caused by Player 1's in-game actions may not be storedon game networking system 120 b. In other embodiments, the game enginecan display Player 1's in-game actions and the associated game statechanges to Player 1, but any game state changes to in-game objectscaused by Player 1's in-game actions may be stored in a new copy of thegame instance. In one implementation, the game engine stores anidentifier for the in-game objects on which Player 1 has performedactions, such as clicking on an object to advance the progression of aharvest mechanic as to a game object, like a plot of land.

At step 330, the game engine can record each in-game action performed byPlayer 1. In particular embodiments, the in-game actions are stored in adata store in social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, or both. The game engine can also record any game state changes toin-game objects caused by Player 1's in-game actions. This disclosurecontemplates any suitable systems for storing in-game actions, gamestate changes, and other game-related data.

At step 335, Player 1 can then exit the game instance associated withPlayer 2. Player 1 can then access another game instance (such as, forexample, a game instance associated with yet another player in Player1's in-game social network) or exit the online game. Player 1 isconsidered inactive once he exits the online game.

At step 340, Player 2 can access the online game. In particularembodiments, Player 2 can access the online game on game networkingsystem 120 b, social networking system 120 a, or both. As an example andnot by way of limitation, Player 2 may access, via client system 130, awebpage hosted by social networking system 120 a, wherein the webpagehas an embedded game interface hosted by game networking system 120 b.

At step 345, the game engine can load a game instance for Player 2.Here, the game engine loads the game instance associated with Player 2at a second time (Time 2), wherein Time 2 is at a later time than Time1. In particular embodiments, Player 2 selects a game instance to loadfrom a set of game instances, wherein the game instances may or may notbe associated with players of the online game. The in-game objects inthe game instance have particular game states at Time 2, and these gamestates may be the same or different as the game states of the in-gameobjects at Time 1. As an example and not by way of limitation, the gameengine may automatically change the game state of specific in-gameobjects over time, such as, for example, a virtual crop may change gamestate from growing to fully-grown after a specific period of time.Because the in-game actions that can be performed on specific in-gameobjects may vary based on the current game state of the in-game object,the set of in-game actions that can be performed on a specific in-gameobject at Time 1 may vary from the set of in-game action that can beperformed at Time 2. In particular embodiments, game state changesassociated with Player 1's in-game actions at Time 1 are not yetimplemented in the game instance. As an example and not by way oflimitation, if Player 1 harvested a fully-grown crop at Time 1, thatcrop may appear unharvested to Player 2 when the game instance is loadedat Time 2. As an example and not by way of limitation, if Player 1harvested a fully-grown crop at Time 1, that crop may appear withered toPlayer 2 when the game instance is loaded at Time 2. As yet anotherexample and not by way of limitation, if Player 1 shot a virtual bear inthe game instance at Time 1, that bear may appear as yet uninjured toPlayer 2 when the game instance is loaded at Time 2.

At step 350, the game engine can load a recording of one or more in-gameactions performed by Player 1. Here, the game engine loads the in-gameactions recorded at step 330. In one implementation, the recorded dataincludes identifiers associated with one or more in-game objects onwhich Player 1 clicked. In some instances, a given in-game object may beidentified more than once in the recorded data. In particularembodiments, the game engine can also load a recording of the game statechanges associated with the in-game actions performed by Player 1. Inother embodiments, the game engine can load a recording of the gamestate changes associated with the in-game actions performed by Player 1,but the game engine may not load a recording of the in-game actions. Insome embodiments, the game engine can also load and display Player 1'splayer character. In other embodiments, the game engine can load anddisplay a proxy of Player 1's player character. A proxy is a type of NPCwherein one or more attributes of the proxy are based on a PC. The proxycan be created and controlled by the game engine regardless of whetherthe player of the PC the proxy is based on is actively using the onlinegame. Still further, other players may have performed similar actions toPlayer 1 with respect to the game instances of Player 2. This data mayhave also been recorded and may be presented to Player 2.

At step 355, Player 2 can select whether or not to play-back therecording of Player 1's in-game actions. Here, Player 2 selects toplay-back the recording of Player 1's in-game actions. As an example andnot by way of limitation, the game engine can load a proxy of Player 1'splayer character. Player 2 can then mouse over or otherwise interactwith the proxy to activate some type of option window. The option windowcan give Player 2 the option of whether or not to play-back Player 1'srecorded in-game actions. If Player 2 chooses to play-back therecording, method 300 can proceed to step 360. Otherwise, method 300 canignore, delete, or negate Player 1's recorded in-game actions. Thisdisclosure contemplates using any suitable method for selecting toplay-back recorded in-game actions. In particular embodiments, Player 2can perform one or more in-game action prior to selecting whether or notto play-back the recording of Player 1's in-game actions. This mayfurther change the game state of one or more in-game objects at Time 2,which may affect the implementation of other steps in method 300. Thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable sequence for recording and playingback Player 1's in-game actions during the subsequent game play ofPlayer 2.

At step 360, the game engine can execute one or more of Player 1'srecorded in-game actions on one or more of the in-game objects in thegame instance. Step 360 can include one or more of sub-steps 365 through385. Step 360 can also include other sub-steps not described herein.This disclosure contemplates any suitable number and type of sub-stepsfor executing recorded in-game actions by one or more players.

At sub-step 365, the game engine can analyze and compare the game stateof the in-game objects at Time 1 and Time 2 (the current game state) todetermine, for example, if the game state of any of the ill-game objectshas changed. By comparing the game states at Time 1 and Time 2, the gameengine can determine if and how the game states have changed over time.In particular embodiments, an in-game object in a game instance may havea first game state at Time 1 and a second game state at Time 2. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a virtual bear may be injured atTime 1 and have only one hit point, and then the game engine may causethe virtual bear to heal three hit points between Times 1 and 2,bringing it to a total of four hit points at Time 2. In particularembodiments, an in-game object in a game instance that existed at Time 1may no longer exist at Time 2. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a virtual crop on a plot unit of land may exist in a gameinstance at Time 1, and then a player may access the game instance at atime between Times 1 and 2 and perform a collecting action on the crop,thereby removing it from the game instance. Consequently, when the gameinstance is accessed at Time 2, the in-game object is no longer present.

At sub-step 370, the game engine can analyze the in-game actionsperformed by Player 1 at Time 1 to determine, for example, if thein-game actions or the game state changes caused by the in-game actionsat Time 1 are compatible with the game states of the in-game objects atTime 2. As an example and not by way of limitation, Player 1 may haveperformed a collecting action on a virtual crop at Time 1. At Time 2,the game engine may have changed the game state of that virtual cropfrom fully-grown to wilted. Because collecting actions cannot beperformed on wilted crops, Player 1's in-game at Time 1 is notcompatible with the game state of the in-game object at Time 2.

At sub-step 375, the game engine can determine one or more appropriatein-game actions to perform on the in-game objects. An appropriatein-game action is one that is consistent with the game logic of theonline game. In particular embodiments, the game engine can determine anappropriate in-game action based on the game state of the in-game objectat Time 2. As an example and not by way of limitation, if the game stateof an in-game object is the same at Time 1 and Time 2, the game enginemay determine that the in-game action performed by Player 1 on thein-game object at Time 1 is appropriate. However, if the game state ofan in-game object is different at Time 1 and Time 2, the game engine maydetermine that the in-game action performed by Player 1 on that in-gameobject at Time 1 is no longer appropriate. In the latter case, the gameengine can determine an alternate in-game action to substitute for thein-game action from Time 1. Alternatively, the game engine can negate orignore the in-game action from Time 1. As another example and not by wayof limitation, a game instance may have a virtual crop. If the virtualcrop was still growing (i.e., in a processing action) at Time 1, Player1 may fertilize the crop at Time 1. At Time 2, the crop may befully-grown. As such, an appropriate in-game action at Time 2 would beto perform a collecting action on the virtual crop. In particularembodiments, the game engine can determine an appropriate in-game actionbased on the in-game action performed by Player 1 on the in-game objectat Time 1. As an example and not by way of limitation, a player may beable to pet or shoot a virtual bear in a game instance. If Player 1petted a virtual bear at Time 1, though it may still be consistent withgame logic to shoot the bear at Time 2, the game engine may determinethat the appropriate in-game action at Time 2 is to pet the bear basedon Player 1's in-game action at Time 1.

At sub-step 380, the game engine can display Player 1's player character(or a proxy of the player character) performing the appropriate in-gameactions determined at step 375. If the game engine determined that anin-game action from Time 1 is still appropriate, it can display Player 1performing that in-game action. If the game engine determined that thein-game action from Time 1 was not appropriate, it can display thealternate in-game action, or possibly display no in-game action at all(for example, if the in-game object no longer exists).

At sub-step 385, the game engine can then modify the game state of thein-game objects based on the appropriate in-game actions. In particularembodiments, the change in game state may be based on the appropriatein-game action as determined at sub-step 375. In other embodiments, thechange in game state may be based on the displayed in-game actionperformed by Player 1 (or a proxy) at sub-step 380. By displaying Player1 performing the appropriate in-game actions at Time 2 rather than theactions Player 1 originally performed at Time 1, the game engine is ableto create the illusion of synchronous game play from asynchronous gameplay essentially by displaying a modified version of Player 1's priorgame play.

Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular steps ofthe method of FIG. 3 as asynchronous game play between two players, thisdisclosure contemplates asynchronous game play between any number ofplayers. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustratesparticular steps of the method of FIG. 3 as occurring in a particularorder, this disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the method ofFIG. 3 occurring in any suitable order. Furthermore, although thisdisclosure describes and illustrates particular components carrying outparticular steps of the method of FIG. 3, this disclosure contemplatesany suitable combination of any suitable components carrying out anysuitable steps of the method of FIG. 3. Finally, although thisdisclosure describes examples of the method of FIG. 3 as involvingparticular in-game actions, in-game objects, and game states, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable in-game actions, in-game objects,and game states.

FrontierVille Example

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate an example embodiment of a game instancein an online role-playing game (RPG). FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate an exampleof a virtual homestead in Zynga's FrontierVille online game, howeverthis disclosure contemplates any suitable online game. A player of theonline RPG can access the game via a browser client 410, which presentsgame interface 420. Game interface 420 shows Player 201's playercharacter on “Player 201's Homestead,” which is a game instanceassociated with Player 201. Game interface 420 also shows Friend 2 ₁'splayer character on the homestead. For purposes of illustration, FIGS.4A-4C refer to users of the social networks illustrated in FIG. 2.Although this disclosure describes and illustrates in FIGS. 4A-4C thegame play of particular players in a particular game instance in aparticular online game, this disclosure contemplates game play by anysuitable players in any suitable game instance in any suitable onlinegame. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates inFIGS. 4A-4C the game play of players in a particular social network,this disclosure contemplates game play by any suitable playersregardless of whether the player is a user of a particular socialnetwork. Game interface 420 displays player character state informationof the active player in box 430. Game interface 420 also displays allthe first-degree friends from the active player's in-game social network(such as, for example, in-game social network 260) in box 440. Thefirst-degree friends in box 440 are players of the online game who haveformed an explicit in-game connection (such as, for example, in-gameconnection 265) with the active player. For example, FIG. 4A showsFriend 2 ₁'s first-degree friends are Friend 3 ₂, Player 201, and NPC 1,wherein NPC 1 is a non-player character controlled by the game engine.As another example, FIGS. 4B and 4C show Player 101's first-degreefriends are Friend 2 ₁, Friend 3 ₁, Friend 4 ₁, and NPC 1. Gameinterface 420 also displays a menu for selection a variety of in-gameactions in box 450.

In particular embodiments, a player controls a player character on avirtual homestead in the online RPG. The player (via his playercharacter) can build and maintain the virtual homestead. The player canengage in a variety of in-game actions on the virtual homestead. Forexample, the player can plants seeds, which grow into crops, which canbe harvested to earn in-game assets. Building, animals, trees, and otherin-game objects can also be purchased and various in-game actions can beperformed on these in-game objects.

Particular in-game objects can be interacted with using the harvestmechanic described previously. As an example and not by way oflimitation, various virtual crops can be planted, grown, and harvestedusing a series of user-initiated in-game actions comprising a harvestmechanic. To grow crops, a player must first select a type of crop toplant (e.g., cotton, wheat, etc.). Each type of crop has a cost invirtual currency and a time necessary for it to grow into a harvestablecrop. For example, wheat has a 24 hour growth time and costs 365 virtualcoins. The player can then click on a plot of land, and his playercharacter will move to the plot of land and plant the crop, therebycompleting the initiating action. The player's game account is alsodebited by the amount of virtual coins needed to buy the crop. Once thecrops are planted, the processing action begins, and the game engineindicates that the crops are growing. By clicking on the growing crops,the player can view how much time is remaining in the processing action.Once the growth time has elapsed, the processing action will end and thegame engine will modify the crops into fully-grown harvestable crops.The player can then perform a collecting action by clicking on the cropsto harvest them and sell them for virtual coins. For example, wheatyields 587 virtual coins per plot. Crops disappear after beingharvested. This completes the collecting action. If the crop is notharvested within a specific time, it will wilt and must be plowed andreplanted, unless the unwither action is performed on the witheredcrops. For example, wheat will grow in 24 hours. If the wheat is notharvested within 24 after the crop are fully-grown, it will wither anddie, and the player will not be able to harvest it for virtual coins,unless the unwither action is performed on the crop. To gain access tothe unwither action, the player may spend legal or virtual currency tobuy one or more uses of the unwither action. Alternatively, first-degreefriends can visit the player's homestead and perform the unwitheraction.

FIG. 4A illustrates the game play of a first player (Friend 2 ₁) in aspecific game instance at a first time. Friend 2 ₁ can access the onlineRPG on game networking system 120 b via a suitable browser client onclient system 130. Friend 2 ₁ can provide user-inputs via game interface420. Typically, when a player accesses the online RPG, the game engineautomatically loads a game instance associated with that player. Fromthere, the player can choose to access other game instances, such as,for example, game instances associated with first-degree friends intheir in-game social network. FIG. 4A illustrates Friend 2 ₁ accessing agame instance associated with a second player (Player 201), which iscalled “Player 201's Homestead.” Friend 2 ₁'s player character state isdisplayed in box 430 and her first-degree in-game friends are displayedin box 440. Box 430 also displays a game clock, which shows a time of“3:30 PM.” FIG. 4A also illustrates Friend 2 ₁'s player character asactive and Player 201's player character as inactive. From here, Friend2 ₁ can perform one or more in-game actions on one or more in-gameobjects in Player 201's Homestead. For example, by clicking on virtualpeas 490, Friend 2 ₁ will cause her player character to move over tovirtual peas 490 and perform a fertilizing action. In FIG. 4A, virtualpeas 490 are growing, and currently in a processing action. Byperforming a fertilizing action, Friend 2 ₁ may cause the game state ofthe virtual peas 490 to change. The game engine will record Friend 2 ₁'sfertilizing action on virtual peas 490, and this is stored on gamenetworking system 120 b. However, any game state changes caused byFriend 2 ₁'s in-game actions will not be recorded.

FIGS. 4B and 4C illustrate the game play of Player 201 in the same gameinstance at a later time. Player 201 can access the online RPG on a gamenetworking system 120 b via a suitable browser client on client system130. Player 201 can provide user-inputs via game interface 420. WhenPlayer 201 accesses the online RPG, the game engine automatically loadsthe game instance associated with Player 201, here “Player 201'sHomestead.” Player 201's player character state is displayed in box 430and his first-degree in-game friends are displayed in box 440. Box 430also displays a game clock, which shows a time of “3:45 PM” in FIG. 4Band “3:46 PM” in FIG. 4C. Here, Player 201's game play as illustrated inFIGS. 4B and 4C is occurring at a later time than Friend 2 ₁'s game playdescribed above. FIGS. 4B and 4C also illustrate Friend 2 ₁'s playercharacter as inactive and Player 201's player character as active.

FIG. 4B illustrates the loading and selecting of recorded in-gameactions in the game instance associated with Player 201. Next to Friend2 ₁'s player character is an option box, which informs Player 201 thatFriend 2 ₁ previously accessed Player 201's Homestead and performed oneor more in-game actions therein. The option box also gives Player 201the choice to either “Accept Help!” or to “Dismiss.” The game enginewill also highlight any in-game actions that Friend 2 ₁ performedin-game actions on. Here, virtual peas 490 are highlighted in FIG. 4Bbecause Friend 2 ₁ fertilized the peas in FIG. 4A. Note that virtualpeas 490 have become fully-grown in FIG. 4B. Between Friend 2 ₁'s gameplay in FIG. 4A and Player 201's game play in FIG. 4B, the game enginehas completed the processing action on virtual peas 490 and has changedits game state appropriately, from growing to fully-grown. If Player 201clicks on “Accept Help!”, the game engine will play-back Friend 2 ₁'sin-game actions as illustrated in FIG. 4A. If Player 201 clicks on“Dismiss,” then Friend 2 ₁'s player character will disappear, Friend 2₁'s in-game actions as illustrated in FIG. 4A will not be played back,and any game state changes associated with those in-game actions willnot be implemented. Here, Player 201 clicks on “Accept Help!” in FIG.4B.

Once Player 201 initiated play-back by clicking “Accept Help!”, the gameengine can execute play-back by performing a variety of steps. The gameengine can analyze the game state of the relevant in-game objects at therelevant times, analyze any relevant in-game actions performed on thosein-game objects, and determine the appropriate in-game actions toperform on the in-game objects during play-back. At the earlier timeillustrated in FIG. A, the virtual peas 490 were still in a processingaction (i.e., it was growing). In FIGS. 4B and 4C, the processing actionon the virtual peas 490 is complete (i.e., it is fully-grown) and is nowready for a player to perform a collecting action to harvest them.Consequently, the game state of virtual peas 490 has changed sinceFriend 2 ₁ performed her in-game action (fertilizing) on them. The gameengine can analyze the change in game state and determine an appropriatein-game action to perform on virtual peas 490. Because virtual peas 490are now fully-grown, fertilizing virtual peas 490 is not consistent withthe game logic of the online RPG and is therefore no longer anappropriate action. However, harvesting virtual peas 490 is consistentwith the game logic and therefore appropriate. As such, based on thecurrent game state of virtual peas 490, the game engine can determinethat the appropriate action to have Friend 2 ₁'s player characterperform during play-back is a harvesting action, not a fertilizingaction.

FIG. 4C illustrates the execution of appropriate in-game actions byFriend 2 ₁'s player character in the game instance associated withPlayer 201. After clicking on “Accept Help!”, Friend 2 ₁'s playercharacter moves over to virtual peas 490 and begins harvesting them,performing a collecting action. Here, even though Friend 2 ₁ isinactive, Friend 2 ₁'s player character is being controlled by the gameengine and is able to perform in-game actions. The game engine willcause the game state of virtual peas 490 to change in response to theappropriate in-game action being performed by Friend 2 ₁'s playercharacter. In this case; harvesting virtual peas 490 causes the virtualpeas to disappear. It also causes Player 201 to receive certain in-gameassets. These game state changes are recorded by the game engine on gamenetworking system 120 b.

Note that if the game state of virtual peas 490 had not changes betweenthe time of Friend 2 ₁'s game play in FIG. 4A and Player 201's game playin FIG. 4B, the game engine would have determined that fertilizingvirtual peas 490 was still an appropriate in-game action. Therefore,Friend 2 ₁ would have performed the same in-game action during play-backat a later time.

Although this disclosure describes and illustrates asynchronous gameplay between two players in FIGS. 4A-4C, this disclosure contemplatesasynchronous game play between any number of players. Moreover, althoughthis disclosure describes and illustrates particular game play in FIGS.4A-4C as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplatesany suitable game play occurring in any suitable order. Furthermore,although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular componentscarrying out particular game play in FIGS. 4A-4C, this disclosurecontemplates any suitable combination of any suitable componentscarrying out any suitable game play.

Data Flow

FIG. 5 illustrates an example data flow between the components of system500. In particular embodiments, system 500 can include client system530, social networking system 520 a, and game networking system 520 b.The components of system 500 can be connected to each other in anysuitable configuration, using any suitable type of connection. Thecomponents may be connected directly or over any suitable network.Client system 530, social networking system 520 a, and game networkingsystem 520 b can each have one or more corresponding data stores such aslocal data store 535, social data store 545, and game data store 565,respectively. Social networking system 520 a and game networking system520 b can also have one or more servers that can communicate with clientsystem 530 over an appropriate network. Social networking system 520 aand game networking system 520 b can have, for example, one or moreinternet servers for communicating with client system 530 via theInternet. Similarly, social networking system 520 a and game networkingsystem 520 b can have one or more mobile servers for communicating withclient system 530 via a mobile network (e.g., GSM, PCS, Wi-Fi, WPAN,etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able to communicate withclient system 530 over both the Internet and a mobile network. In otherembodiments, separate servers can be used.

Client system 530 can receive and transmit data 523 to and from gamenetworking system 520 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 520 b can communicatedata 543, 547 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 520 a (e.g.,Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Client system 530 can also receive andtransmit data 527 to and from social networking system 520 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 530, social networking system 520 a,and game networking system 520 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 530, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols, such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) and other communications protocols, such as HTTP-S, FTP, SNMP,TELNET, and a number of other protocols, may be used. In addition, aserver in one interaction context may be a client in another interactioncontext. In particular embodiments, the information transmitted betweenhosts may be formatted as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents.Other structured document languages or formats can be used, such as XML,and the like. Executable code objects, such as JavaScript andActionScript, can also be embedded in the structured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 520 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 530 for use by a client-side executed object to process.In particular embodiments, the client-side executable may be aFLASH-based game, which can de-serialize the game state data in theBLOB. As a player plays the game, the game logic implemented at clientsystem 530 maintains and modifies the various game state parameterslocally. The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such asmouse clicks, and transmit these events to game networking system 520 b.Game networking system 520 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy ofthe BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)layer. Game networking system 520 b can also de-serialize the BLOB toresolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic basedon the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system520 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 520 b, may supportmultiple client systems 530. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 530 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 530, and multiple client systems 530 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 520 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 530 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 520 b.

In particular embodiments, a computed-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system530. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 530 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with or accessed bysocial networking system 520 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 530, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 530 may need to informgame networking system 520 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 500 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 520 a or game networkingsystem 520 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 530, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes gamestate associated with the instance executed by the client system 530.

In particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 530 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run Flash application or game object code from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 520 aor game networking system 520 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 530. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 530 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by make various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization between the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 530, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 520 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 520 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 530 may send abatch file to game networking system 520 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 530. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 530, game networking system 520 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and stores the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game the player is in. When aplayer resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 520 bmay retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 520 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 6 illustrates an example network environment, in which variousexample embodiments may operate. Network cloud 660 generally representsone or more interconnected networks, over which the systems and hostsdescribed herein can communicate. Network cloud 660 may includepacket-based wide area networks (such as the Internet), privatenetworks, wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks,paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 6 illustrates, particularembodiments may operate in a network environment comprising one or morenetworking systems, such as social networking system 620 a, gamenetworking system 620 b, and one or more client systems 630. Thecomponents of social networking system 620 a and game networking system620 b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred tosimply at networking system 620. Client systems 630 are operablyconnected to the network environment via a network service provider, awireless carrier, or any other suitable means.

Networking system 620 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 622 and datastores 624. The one or more physical servers 622 are operably connectedto computer network 660 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 626. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 122 may include web or HTTPservers, FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages andapplications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script,PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Hyper TextMarkup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java,JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash, ActionScript,and the like.

Physical servers 622 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 620. Hereinafter servers 622 may be referred to asserver 622, although server 622 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 620, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 624 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 620 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images(e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio,video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof.Content object data may also include executable code objects (e.g.,games executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, etc.Logically, data store 624 corresponds to one or more of a variety ofseparate and integrated databases, such as relational databases andobject-oriented databases, that maintain information as an integratedcollection of logically related records or files stored on one or morephysical systems. Structurally, data store 624 may generally include oneor more of a large class of data storage and management systems. Inparticular embodiments, data store 624 may be implemented by anysuitable physical system(s) including components, such as one or moredatabase servers, mass storage media, media library systems, storagearea networks, data storage clouds, and the like. In one exampleembodiment, data store 624 includes one or more servers, databases(e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 624 may include dataassociated with different networking system 620 users and/or clientsystems 630.

Client system 630 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 630 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 630 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular embodiments, the client applications allow a user of clientsystem 630 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 620. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. Inaddition, once a page or other resource has been retrieved, the clientapplications may provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, suchhyperlinks may be located within the webpages and provide an automatedway for the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve thatpage.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).Other common web browser-supported languages and technologies includethe Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Extensible Hypertext MarkupLanguage (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Cascading Style Sheet(CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example, HTML enables a pagedeveloper to create a structured document by denoting structuralsemantics for text and links, as well as images, web applications, andother objects that can be embedded within the page. Generally, a webpagemay be delivered to a client as a static document; however, through theuse of web elements embedded in the page, an interactive experience maybe achieved with the page or a sequence of pages. During a user sessionat the client, the web browser interprets and displays the pages andassociated resources received or retrieved from the website hosting thepage, as well as, potentially, resources from other websites.

When a user at a client system 630 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 620, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 620. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user ID, as well as informationidentifying or characterizing the web browser or operating systemrunning on the user's client computing device 630. The request may alsoinclude location information identifying a geographic location of theuser's client system or a logical network location of the user's clientsystem. The request may also include a timestamp identifying when therequest was transmitted.

Although the example network environment described above and illustratedin FIG. 6 described with respect to social networking system 620 a andgame networking system 620 b, this disclosure encompasses any suitablenetwork environment using any suitable systems. As an example and not byway of limitation, the network environment may include online mediasystems, online reviewing systems, online search engines, onlineadvertising systems, or any combination of two or more such systems.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 622 or a client system 630. In oneembodiment, hardware system 700 comprises a processor 702, a cachememory 704, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on atangible computer readable medium, directed to the functions describedherein. Additionally, hardware system 700 may include a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710may couple processor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/Obus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A systemmemory 714 and one or more network/communication interfaces 716 maycouple to bus 706. Hardware system 700 may further include video memory(not shown) and a display device coupled to the video memory. Massstorage 718 and I/O ports 720 may couple to bus 708. Hardware system 700may optionally include a keyboard, a pointing device, and a displaydevice (not shown) coupled to bus 708. Collectively, these elements areintended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to general purpose computer systems based onthe x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 716 provides communicationbetween hardware system 700 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Mass storage718 provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructionsto perform the above-described functions implemented in servers 422,whereas system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage forthe data and programming instructions when executed by processor 702.I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication portsthat provide communication between additional peripheral devices, whichmay be coupled to hardware system 700.

Hardware system 700 may include a variety of system architectures andvarious components of hardware system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 702 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 708 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 700 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 700 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Of course, other embodiments are possible. Forexample, the functions described herein may be implemented in firmwareor on an application-specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the disclosure. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

Miscellaneous

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods described herein may be implemented usinghardware components, software components, and/or any combinationthereof. By way of example, while embodiments of the present disclosurehave been described as operating in connection with a networkingwebsite, various embodiments of the present disclosure can be used inconnection with any communications facility that supports webapplications. Furthermore, in some embodiments the term “web service”and “website” may be used interchangeably and additionally may refer toa custom or generalized API on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g.,a cellular phone, smart phone, personal GPS, personal digital assistant,personal gaming device), that makes API calls directly to a server. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims and that the disclosure is intended to cover allmodifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: determining one or morefirst in-game actions by a first player on one or more in-game objectsin a game instance of a computer-implemented game of a second player ata first time; determining a game state of the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player at a second timesucceeding the first time; and applying, using at least one processor ofa machine, one or more second in-game actions to one or more of thein-game objects in the game instance at the second time based on the oneor more first in-game actions by the first player and the game state ofthe game instance at the second time, the one or more second in-gameactions being consistent with the game state of the game instance at thesecond time.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thefirst player in active in the game instance of the computer-implementedgame of the second player at the first time, wherein the second playeris inactive in the game instance of the computer-implemented game of thesecond player at the first time and active in the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player at the second time. 3.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:determining changes in the one or more of in-game objects in the gameinstance of the computer-implemented game of the second player betweenthe first time and the second time; and
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 3, further comprising: filtering out one or more of thefirst in-game actions by the first player by determining whether the oneor more first in-game actions can be applied to one or more of thein-game objects in the game instance at the second time according to agame logic of the computer-implemented game.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 4, further comprising: verifying that the one or moresecond in-game actions can be applied to one or more of the in-gameobjects in the game instance at the second time according to the gamelogic.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining a game state of the one or more in-game objectsat the second time; and determining the one or more second in-gameactions based on the game state of the one or more in-game objects atthe second time.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising: responsive to an in-game action by the second player,applying one or more second in-game actions to one or more of thein-game objects in the game instance at the second time.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: recordingthe one or more first in-game actions by the first player on the one ormore in-game objects in the game instance at the first time.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising: responsiveto an in-game action by the second player, displaying the recorded oneor more first in-game actions by the first player on the one or morein-game objects in the game instance at the first time.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: responsiveto the one or more first in-game actions by the first player on the oneor more in-game objects in the game instance at the first time,displaying to the first player one or more first changes in game stateof one or more of the in-game objects; and responsive to applying theone or more second in-game actions to one or more of the in-game objectsin the game instance at the second time, displaying to the second playerone or more second changes in game state of one or more of the in-gameobjects.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein: oneor more of the first in-game actions by the first player on one or moreof the in-game objects in the game instance at the first time cause oneor more first changes in game state of one or more of the in-gameobjects; and applying the second in-game actions to one or more of thein-game objects in the game instance at the second time causes one ormore second changes in game state of one or more of the in-game objects.12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first playerand the second player are first-degree friends in a social network. 13.A system comprising: at least one processor of a machine; and a gamenetworking system configured to: determine one or more first in-gameactions by a first player on one or more in-game objects in a gameinstance of a computer-implemented game of a second player at a firsttime; determine a game state of the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player at a second timesucceeding the first time; and apply one or more second in-game actionsto one or more of the in-game objects in the game instance at the secondtime based on the one or more first in-game actions by the first playerand the game state of the game instance at the second time, the one ormore second in-game actions being consistent with the game state of thegame instance at the second time.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe first player in active in the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player at the first time,wherein the second player is inactive in the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player at the first time andactive in the game instance of the computer-implemented game of thesecond player at the second time.
 15. The system of claim 13, whereinthe game networking system is further configured to: determine changesin the one or more of in-game objects in the game instance of thecomputer-implemented game of the second player between the first timeand the second time; and
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the gamenetworking system is further configured to: filter out one or more ofthe first in-game actions by the first player by determining whether theone or more first in-game actions can be applied to one or more of thein-game objects in the game instance at the second time according to agame logic of the computer-implemented game.
 17. The system of claim 16,wherein the game networking system is further configured to: verify thatthe one or more second in-game actions can be applied to one or more ofthe in-game objects in the game instance at the second time according tothe game logic.
 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the game networkingsystem is further configured to: determine a game state of the one ormore in-game objects at the second time; and determine the one or moresecond in-game actions based on the game state of the one or morein-game objects at the second time,
 19. The system of claim 13, whereinthe game networking system is further configured to: responsive to anin-game action by the second player, apply one or more second in-gameactions to one or more of the in-game objects in the game instance atthe second time.
 20. A non-transitory machine readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine,causes the machine to perform operations comprising: determining one ormore first in-game actions by a first player on one or more in-gameobjects in a game instance of a computer-implemented game of a secondplayer at a first time; determining a game state of the game instance ofthe computer-implemented game of the second player at a second timesucceeding the first time; and applying one or more second in-gameactions to one or more of the in-game objects in the game instance atthe second time based on the one or more first in-game actions by thefirst player and the game state of the game instance at the second time,the one or more second in game actions being consistent with the stateof the game instance at the second time.